ASTA a member of new Cuba lobbying group

ASTA a member of new Cuba lobbying group
By Gay Nagle Myers / June 18, 2015

Engage Cuba, a public policy group created to push for an end to the
53-year trade embargo with Cuba, marked its launch on June 16 by airing
a 30-second television ad on Fox News, MSNBC and CNBC to gain support
for overturning the law that restricts Americans' travel to Cuba.

The TV ad titled "Guess What?" points out that Americans are allowed to
travel to North Korea but cannot book a flight to Cuba and that an
estimated $5.9 billion in annual U.S. exports currently is blocked by
the ban on trade with Cuba.
ASTA is joining Engage Cuba as a founding member, joining coalition
members that include the National Foreign Trade Council, National
Association of Manufacturers, the Consumer Electronics Association and
the Council of the Americas.
Other organizations affiliated with Engage Cuba include the Center for
Democracy in the Americas and Cuba Study Group, along with private
sector companies Choice Hotels and Proctor & Gamble.
"The benefits of increased engagement actually go beyond the shores of
Cuba," said ASTA CEO Zane Kerby. "We believe that lifting the travel ban
will bring economic benefits to Cuba's neighbors as well and the travel
industry that serves them by generating demand for new passenger routes,
tours and travel agent services."
Engage Cuba is considering expanded ad buys in specific markets and in a
variety of mediums, including online and social media, according to the
organization's president, James Williams. Besides the ad, Engage Cuba is
working to create state councils of local business and civic leaders.
"Since December, we've heard from Americans who cannot believe the U.S.
government is denying us the right to travel anywhere in the world.
Public polls show that Americans are tired of this policy. We want our
government to let us play a role in this significant period of
transition," Williams said.
Engage Cuba is working with Republican lobbying firm Fierce Government
Relations to coordinate its legislative strategy in Congress.

Source: ASTA a member of new Cuba lobbying group: Travel Weekly -
http://www.travelweekly.com/Caribbean-Travel/ASTA-a-member-of-new-Cuba-lobbying-group